Jackson.] 226 



snowy mountain peaks. Virginia City is a large and prosperous min- 

 ino- town, and owes its existence to the silver mines of the Comstock 

 ledge of argentiferous quartz, which is extensively mined by many 

 large and enterprising companies, yielding millions of dollars' worth 

 of silver per annum. Only a short stop was made at Virginia City at 

 this time by our party, for we were hastening on to the special scene of 

 our labors in and near Austin. Descending upon a table-land plain, 

 incrusted with carbonate of soda and sea salt, we travel for about one 

 hundred and eighty miles over a scene of utter barrenness and desola- 

 tion, on a plain upon which only sage brush grows. As we come near 

 the foot of the Humboldt range of mountains, well characterized 

 Trachyte, Trachyte Porphyry and Domite were seen to be the char- 

 acteristic rocks of the ancient volcanic formation. Specimens were 

 obtained from the land falls or slides from the mountains, which had 

 reached nearly to the border of the plains, and the denuded sides of 

 the mountains were seen to be composed of these rocks. 



Approaching Austin we come to mountain ridges and rise above 

 the level of Virginia City, when we enter the valley of Austin, where 

 by barometrical measurement the centre of the town was found to 

 be 6,489 feet above tide level, or 147 feet higher than Virginia City. 



Austin is surrounded by three mountains separated by deep canons; 

 Lander Hill, Central Hill, and Union Hill are the names by which 

 they are known. These hills consist of a granite made up of crystal- 

 line feldspar and mica without any aggregated crystals of quartz, though 

 the rock is cut by an immense number of quartz veins containing the 

 silver ores. The geological age of this rock is probably Triassic or 

 Jurassic, since it is protruded through slate strata which, in California, 

 has been proved by the existence of certain fossils to belong to that 

 formation. Rich veins of ruby silver ore abound in this rock, and 

 hundreds of mines have been opened for its extraction. At a future 

 meeting, details with regard to some of these mines will be given. 



Austin, surrounded with snow-capped mountains, has of course a 

 cool climate, but since it is shut in by the mountains the valley is warm 

 in the middle of the day. No farming is attempted, and all food is 

 brought from Utah or San Francisco for the supply of the village. 

 There are but a few spots where even a garden can be successfully 

 cultivated in the town. Wood for fuel is brought from distant 

 mountains by the Shoshone Indians, who retail loads of it in the 

 streets. Excursions were made to mineral lands in Smoky Valley and 

 to the Cortez District near Humboldt. Indian hostilities rendered 

 travelling somewhat dangerous, but we did not happen to meet with 

 any hostile bands. 



Returning to San Francisco another mountain pass through the 

 Sierra Range was chosen, called the Dutch pass, and we went through 



